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S. DENISON, OFv PORTLANDVILLE, NEW YORK. `Lettere Patent No. 71,997, V'ezeeeez Deeembee 1o, 1867.

IMPROVED MAIL-BAG FASTENER.

TO ALL nWHOM IT MAY CONCERNt Be it known that I, S.,DENIsoN, of Portlan'flville, in the county oi' Otsego, and State of New Yorlghave invented a new and improved Mail-Bag Fastener; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact descriptionthereof, which will enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference Abeing had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is aside view of a. portion of the mouth of a mail-bag, to which my improvement has been attaehed.

Figure 2 is a. cross-section of the same, taken through the line :z: x, iig. 1.

Figure 3 is a top view of a portion of the same. l

Similar letters of reference indica/telike parts.

invention has for its object to furnish an improved mail-bag fastener, by the use of which the mouth of the bag will be closed securely, and which 'may be operated in closing and opening the bag inV less tim-e and with less labor than the fastenings now in use; and it consists in the construction ofthe hooks, and in their combination with the s tra'ps to which they are pivoted, and with the staples and bag, the whole being constructedvand arranged as hereinafter more fully described.

A are the staples; which are attached to fthe Hap b of the mail-bag Bin the ordinary manner; C are hooks, madeV of malleable iron, and in about the shape shown in fig. 1. The front arms of the hooks pass through the staples A, and are pointed or rounded ofi' so as to fltiqto notches formed in the end ofthe rear or shorter arms Vof said hooks, thnsmaking each rear hook support the one before it. The lower ends of the Shanks of the i hooks C are pivoted to a metallic strap, D, attached to the bag B. I The Shanks ofthe h ooks are also connected by a bar, E, to which they are pivoted a little above their lower'endsfsc thatthey muy all be moved together.

lo the rear end of' the rear hook is attached a metallic strap, I, which maybe hingedito enable it more easilyV to pass over the staple G, to which the padlock is applied. By this construction all thie'hooks maybe passed through the staples or removed from them at once, thereby saving a great deal'of time and trouble. If desired,

the metallic straps D and E maybe jointed or hinged between some or all of the hooks C, so as to make the" mouth of the bag flexible, or enable it to be folded'when required.

I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The hooks C, constructed substantially as herein shown and described, in combination with the straps D and F, with the bag B and staples A, asV and forthe purpose set forth. i Y. w

' S. DENISON.

Witnesses:

G. H. CARPENTER, C. H. GIFFORD. 

